Uneasily Detached
by Savannahbobanna
Summary: Bella and Laurent have been happily married for three years. When shocking news hits a member of the family, how will they possibly go on? The sequel to Without You!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! This is the sequel to Without You! **

**It is being cowritten with JacksonsWIFEY! She is loverly!! :D**

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Uneasily Detached

**Chapter 1  
Bella's Point of View**

I rolled my eyes as Laurent and Eleazar once again argued over a bet they had placed on the recent college football game. Apparently Eleazar was refusing to pay up, as USC clearly didn't deserve that final touchdown, thus causing a fight in our house once again.

"_Eleazar, just give me my money_!" Laurent snarled, his French accent prominent. I swore under my breath and lunged at my husband. I pinned up against the living room wall; he constantly lost control of his anger with our annoying cousin. I placed my hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at me. He never ever refused that.

"Love, calm down, come on I think we need some time _alone_." I glared at my adoptive cousin and he ran from the house immediately. Laurent and I laughed as he picked me up bridal style and ran to our master bedroom. He threw me on the bed and climbed on top of me, planting kisses on every part of my uncovered body before pressing his perfectly moulded lips to mine.

I melted in the feeling of his skin upon mine. We seemed to never get enough, and after all, we were still in the honeymoon stage after three years of living happily in France. Laurent had changed me the night I asked him to, much to Alice's chagrin. I withered in pain for two and a half days, thanks to my husband putting so much venom in my system. When I had awoke from my change, the first thing my eyes met was the beauty of husband's bare body in the moonlight. The rays glistened off of him and emphasised each part of him.

That was a night to remember, even if you were a human with a really bad memory. I was brought back to the present when Laurent nipped on my collarbone. I groaned and he laughed into my top, always amused at my reactions. He had recently bitten me fully on the neck. Taking me roughly from behind, he couldn't help himself, and I now had a scar for me to remember _that_ episode.

"I love you, Bella," Laurent murmured from his position between my shoulder and neck, his favorite spot to be... well, other than somewhere _else_.

"I love you." I rolled him over, straddling his chest and pushing my hair out of my face, something he loved watching me do from the position he was currently in. I teased him, wiggling my hips slightly and leaning backwards to check the time on the wall clock. His hands roamed down my waist and soothed my upper thighs. A low moan slipped from my lips. Obviously my husband heard it and smirked. I rolled my eyes at how cocky he could be. He was always smirking at the fact it was _him_ making me moan and _him_ who I was in bed with, his _wife._

I bent down slowly, torturing Laurent, as I loved to watch him constantly squirm. He kissed my neck, licking the whole of my collarbone. My lips hovered above his, letting my sweet breath wash over his face. His eyes rolled back and his hands latched onto my waist, giving a good old squeeze and making me latch my lips to my husbands. "You...know_..._what...you do to me," I said between kisses. I ripped his shirt from his skin and groaned, as his abs were the first thing I saw. They were always tempting me.

I grinned evilly. "Now, go get ready. We have that meal with the townspeople in half an hour." I jumped off of him and swayed my hips comically, walking into our joint closet.

"That was evil, Mrs. Chevalier, and you quite clearly know it." Laurent hissed.

I chuckled and opened up the formal dressing section, grabbing myself a knee length black cocktail dress and black heels that emphasised my legs. After all, I had graceful balance and hadn't once fallen over since my change.

I speedily chucked my top and jeans off, and slipped on my dress and high heels. I checked myself in the mirror.

"You look ravishing, my love. The French bachelors and happily married men will be in heaven," Laurent purred from the doorway. He was dressed in dark grey slacks, and a black buttoned shirt with the top two undone. And, of course, his trademark smart black shoes.

His arms wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me into a deep kiss. I clutched onto his upper arms. I giggled and wormed out of his grasp. I never normally did that but we _had_ to get to this meal. Of course, we would refrain from eating _anything_.

I quickly sprayed a can of hairspray over my hair, backcombing it slightly and bringing parts over my shoulders. I put on a pearl necklace Laurent had recently bought me, along with the Chevalier family crest bracelet upon my wrist.

"Are you ready to go dear?" Laurent held his arm out for me. I nodded and we gracefully walked out of the house, climbing into the Aston Martin Vanquish Eleazar insisted we bought as a married couple. I loved it. Laurent couldn't stop the venom that pooled in his mouth at the sight of the tailored leather.

"I hear that the Cullens will be visiting this week," Laurent noted, keeping his eyes focused on the roads as they flashed by us at high speeds.

My face turned into an involuntary grimace as I remembered that Edward would be visiting this time. He didn't want to come when they had visited before.

"And Edward will be with them. We can cancel it if you do not want to see the bastard," Laurent spat.

My hand automatically latched onto his lower arm, a reflex action for me when Laurent got a little too angry at the wheel. "Laurent, you know I'm yours and only yours forever. Edward cannot get over the fact I chose a nomad."

Laurent nodded. "That is in two days. All that matters is that we are together and enjoying ourselves. I am certainly going to be enjoying myself tonight; I cannot wait to see the men's reaction to my lovely wife in her stunning dress." He let his hand run down the length of my body, never actually touching me, but setting my body alight as he always had. "Looks like they wanted to look posh by paying people to collect our car keys and park it for us. It's a disaster waiting to happen my love, I can feel it." He chuckled.

He jogged to my door and opened it, taking my hand in his and licking his lips as I smoothed the dress over my legs. His lips lowered to my hand and he planted a soft kiss on my knuckles, making my knees go slightly weak. He _knew_ what that did to me. I giggled and he laughed He wrapped an arm around my waist protectively, always forgetting I could protect myself.

I heard plenty of gasps and intakes of breath as we made our way towards the entrance. Glares from the married women were quite obvious as we walked through the doors of the posh hotel the townspeople had put money together to rent for the night.

"Hmm, looks like my predictions were correct. One man's heart almost stopped, literally. The married men are glancing back and forth from you to their old wives," he commented as we settled ourselves on the plush sofa beside the large windows in the hallway. I tucked my head beneath Laurent's chin and let my eyes scan around the room.

Someone immediately caught my eye.

_Edward_.

He was leaning against the wall and swirling the champagne he wasn't drinking, inside the tall glass he held carefully.

"It seems we have an early visitor," snarled Laurent too low for human ears as his eyes caught Edward's. I stiffened at my husband's anger; he could never control it when anyone even mentioned _Edward_ _Cullen_. He was still very, very bitter about the time, three years ago, that Edward had tried to steal me from him. I couldn't blame him at all.

"If that bastard even dares to come over here, I swear I will not be sorry for my actions tonight. Even if it means me ruining my newly found diet, love..." Laurent threatened.

Edward smirked and took a few steps closer towards the couch we sat on. "Bella, Laurent! What a pleasure to see you both!" He exclaimed with mock joy, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Laurent jumped off of the couch and stood nose to nose with him. "I demand to know why you think you should be here. You are certainly not a local resident, and you are most certainly not welcome here. I suggest you leave!" Laurent growled. None of the humans had noticed anything yet, lucky for us.

Edward smiled. "Laurent, you are overreacting. I simply came here because I was on the way to Italy, and decided that because I was already on the continent, I might stop by and say hello a few days early."

I bit back my sarcastic comment. Edward was in Europe a lot... why did he feel like he had to pop in and see us this time?

"Well, hello," I said, unsmiling.

Edward laughed. "Really, Bella, you don't have to act like that. I can assure you that I am totally over you. I promise."

Laurent frowned. "Why is it that you are on your way to Italy?"

Edward didn't look at Laurent. His eyes remained fixed on me. There was something he was hiding. I knew those eyes better than anyone else did. I bit my lip.

"Oh, you know the Volturi. They want me to join them every five years or so. I am on my way to tell them my answer," he answered simply.

By the time he had looked away, his eyes had hardened once again, betraying him no more. I knew that Aro constantly wanted Edward for his powers, and I knew that he always said no. He enjoyed life with the Cullens much more than he would ever enjoy being a member of the guard.

Laurent's grasp on my hand loosened. He was starting to relax. He was starting to realize that Edward wasn't there to steal me away. He apparently just wanted to visit.

"And you are also going to be in town in a few days, yes?" asked Laurent.

Edward nodded. "Oh, yes. This was really just a quick stop. Aro is expecting me in a few hours, actually."

"So you should be leaving here soon," said Laurent. "We wouldn't want Aro to be upset with you." His tone gave away the fact that he would actually like very much for Aro to be upset with him.

Edward chuckled. "If you say so." He pushed his champagne glass into my hand. He gave me one lingering look, a look that was filled with emotion, and then was gone.

I knew he was trying to tell me something with that look... I just wasn't sure what it was.

"Laurent, my boy!" boomed a voice from across the room, ripping me out of my thoughts. It was a voice that I had come to know very well.

I had met Uncle Louis on my wedding day, and since then he had become a huge portion of our daily life. Uncle Louis was known in the history books as King Louis XIV. He was a lover of life, France, and women.

Laurent stood and opened his arms. "Louis!" He exclaimed. Louis bustled through the crowd, gently pushing aside any men who got in his way, and looked any attractive young woman he happened to pass up and down.

Louis was a rather portly man, especially considering he was a vampire, but he had a charm that no woman could resist. He was wearing a dark, pinstriped suit. He was quite the snappy dresser, that Louis.

He was also the most powerful man in France. Because he had never died, he was still technically the king. Oh sure, he didn't actually affect the government in any way, but he could if he absolutely wanted to. The only people who knew he _actually_ ruled were the president and a few other higher ups in the political system.

But he didn't feel the need to ever interfere with the politics of anything. He was just in it for the money... with that money he could get all the girls he wanted.

He reached us quickly. "Laurent, do you realize what attractive ladies we have in France?" he asked, gazing across the crowd of townspeople that had started gathering at the hotel.

"I only pay attention to one, my friend," admitted Laurent, grinning.

Louis looked me over. "I certainly don't blame you! My Angelique has gotten off somewhere, actually. I saw her a few minutes ago... Ah, oh well! Now, have you ever seen such a lovely get together?" asked Louis. He continued to blabber on, as was usual.

I tuned him out. After a few visits with Louis, it became very easy to pretend you were listening. My mind was elsewhere. I didn't really accept Edward's reason for showing up to the party. There was something he was trying to tell me in that look of his, something I didn't like at all...

And I was going to figure out what it was.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys! I'm diggin' this story. Just sayin :)**

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Uneasily Detached

Chapter 2

(BPOV)

On the day that the Cullens were supposed to arrive, I was a jittery wreck. I had missed them, and if I went a few months without seeing them I got antsy. They were the only people I had that connected me to my old life, back in Forks.

"Bella, can you calm down? You're making me nervous over here!" exclaimed Eleazar. He and Laurent were playing chess out on the balcony.

The castle that Uncle Louis had given Laurent and I was without a doubt the nicest house I had ever been in. When you walked in the huge front door, you were greeted by a welcoming foyer. The floors were made of marble, and the walls were painted a deep red. Against the opposite wall was a massive fireplace. It was operated by a switch, so none of us would ever get too dangerously close to the fire.

On the right there was a spiral staircase, one of many, which led to the upper floors of the house. The bedrooms, theatre, and indoor spa were up there.

On the left was a hallway which led to the huge kitchen and another smaller, more comfortable living room. It was there that we spent most of our time. There was a balcony connected to the living room where Laurent and Eleazar spent their days playing chess, making bets, and doing other competitive things that usually always ended in a nice arm-wrestle. The door to outside was always open.

"I can't help it!" I exclaimed. "I am so excited!" I was pacing back and forth.

"Bella, please?" asked Laurent, his voice strained. "I am just about to win, here."

I stifled a smile and went upstairs to get Carmen. I was so happy that they chose to live with us most of the time.

Carmen was almost always in the spa. Half of the time it seemed like that was the only reason she stayed with us. And because she thought it was hilarious to watch Laurent and Eleazar get into their little scuffles.

"Knock, knock!" I called, pushing open the door.

"Bella, darling! So you're annoying the boys, are you?" she asked. She was sitting in the Jacuzzi, watching the TV mounted on the opposite wall.

I sighed. "You know how I get when it's time for the Cullens to come and visit," I admitted.

Carmen laughed. "It's a shame that the boys are actually doing something, because I'm sure that Laurent could do something to distract you."

I laughed and was secretly glad that I couldn't blush anymore. "You know how he gets when it's time for the Cullens to come over. He feels bad for stealing me and then he gets all apologetic, yadda yadda. I'm happy he has the distraction."

I froze when I heard the sound of cars driving up the lane. "They're here!" I exclaimed. I ran to the front door and flung it open. The purr of four expensive cars came to a stop at the same time as they parked in front of the house.

The first person out of her car was Alice. "Bella!" she shrieked. She ran towards me and all but knocked me over with the force of her hug. "I've missed you so much, and we have so much to talk about, and I really like what you've done with your hair, and Laurent and Eleazar need to go help with my bags. They're in Edward's car," she said in one breath.

"I missed you too," I laughed. When I pulled away from her hug, her expression changed for just a moment. She was nervous about something. She went inside before I could ask her what was wrong, though.

After Alice, I was swept into a massive hug by Emmett. "I'm just a little sad you aren't as clumsy anymore. It's so funny when you trip," he said. I knew he meant it lovingly.

"I love you too, Emmett," I giggled.

After greeting Esme, Carlisle, Jasper, and Rosalie, my eyes slid reluctantly to Edward. His entire car was packed with Alice's luggage, and the rest of the family was inside, hauling it to her room. It was just the two of us.

He walked slowly, purposefully, to where I was standing. "Bella," he said with a nod of the head.

I looked into his eyes. He was guarding his emotions and his thoughts carefully. He knew I saw something in his eyes the other night that he didn't want me to see.

"If you keep staring like that people will get the wrong idea," he said quietly. He smiled his damned crooked smile, and I could have sworn there was something sad in it.

"What are you hiding from me?" I blurted.

"Oh, Bella. It's been quite some time since we've been together. Just because you knew me then doesn't mean you know me now."

"Well, what the hell does that mean?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Nothing. Nothing."

"Bella, love!" called Laurent from the living room. "Your guests are dreadfully excited to see you, so would you like to come inside?"

I turned from Edward. I couldn't even look at him anymore. He was patronizing me, and I _hated_ it when people did that. I took a deep breath, wiped all the irritation from my face, and ran to the living room. My whole family was there, and I wasn't going to let Edward ruin it for me.

I was grateful for the open floor plan of the kitchen and living room, because without it, the room would have been much too crowded. Emmett was in a heated conversation with Laurent and Eleazar. Carmen and Alice were talking about something fashion related. Jasper was leaning against the counter and started talking to Edward when he approached. The only person without someone to talk to was Rosalie.

"Hey, Rosalie," I said, smiling. "Your hair is looking really good." The first rule about talking to Rosalie was to always start with a compliment.

"Hi, Bella. Nice house," she said, gazing around. "I've been thinking about getting a place like this for Emmett and me."

I nodded. "There's a spa upstairs that you would love."

Her response was cut off when two more people entered the house. The Cullens weren't used to Uncle Louis and Angelique always entering without knocking.

"I knew there would be a party today!" boomed Louis cheerfully. Angelique strutted into the room, and I saw Rosalie's face darken instantly. Angelique, however impossible it seemed, was actually more beautiful that Rosalie.

Louis left Angelique to talk to Carlisle. He loved talking to Carlisle because he thought Carlisle's job was _the_ most fascinating thing ever. Anyone who could successfully refrain from devouring a profusely bleeding human deserved some adoration, in his mind.

Angelique scanned the room and settled on talking to Edward and Jasper. After a moment, Jasper left the two of them and found Alice.

Rosalie laughed harshly. "The poor girl."

"What?" I asked, still staring at the two of them.

"Nothing. Anyway, I think Edward has some sort of announcement to make, don't you, Edward?" she asked.

His eyes flashed from Angelique to Rosalie. If looks could kill…

Edward took a deep breath and then cleared his throat. "Everyone, if you could please sit down, I have something to tell you."

I looked at the people in the room, and it was obvious which of the people there knew what he was going to say. Alice, Rosalie, and Carlisle all looked a little too unsurprised, in my opinion.

I sat next to Laurent and he took my hand.

Edward looked at every person in the room for a second. He wasn't guarding his emotions anymore. In his eyes, I could see just how serious the news he was going to tell us was. He was scared. I stopped breathing.

When he looked at Carlisle, he nodded.

Edward took a deep breath. "I am joining the Volturi."

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	3. Chapter 3

There was silence in the room as we all processed what he had said. Laurent squeezed my hand reassuringly, but it wasn't comforting enough. It felt as if I was being flooded with rage.

"Jasper," whispered Alice. "Calm down, you're getting all of us."

Jasper stood up and glared at Edward. "So, let me get this absolutely right. Because you are sad and lonely, and I'm going to be honest here, just a little bit pathetic, you decide to go off and become a mercenary? You never even came to us and asked us for help, Edward. This lone wolf business is ridiculous! You are, quite possibly, one of the most selfish beings I've ever met!"

My mouth fell open. I had never, ever seen Jasper react so harshly. When I looked at Alice, I could understand why. She seemed so sad. She and Edward had always been close. From what I had gathered, joining the Volturi was like joining a family. To join his new family, Edward had to leave his old one. Alice yanked on Jasper's hand and he sat back down, seemingly drained.

Edward's eyes were trained on the ground. "It seems to me that you were in no position to help. None of you know loneliness as I do."

"What did you say?" I sputtered. "Do you have no recollection of that time you just decided to up and leave me? Not only you, Edward, but the entire family. For months I was a zombie. I didn't eat, I didn't sleep. I lost everyone because of you. Don't you dare tell me I don't know loneliness." I felt Laurent tense up beside me.

Edward nodded, but kept silent. The room fell still once again. Even Louis, who under normal circumstances was the king of filling a silence, didn't speak.

"Excuse me, but I don't know this Volturi. Louis doesn't like to tell me about the bad things in the world. What is Volturi?" asked Angelique, her accent heavy.

Edward spoke before any of us could answer. "For centuries the vampires have remained, for the most part, incognito. This is because of the work of the Volturi. They keep the vampire kind alive and well. They do this by shutting down any possible threats to our peaceful existence. Without them, the world would be chaos."

"This does not sound bad. This sounds noble!" exclaimed Angelique.

Rosalie laughed. "Oh Edward, thank you for protecting vampire-kind!"

Edward growled and left the room. Angelique glared at Rosalie and followed him.

"Rosalie," sighed Esme.

Emmett defended her. "What? He's clearly being a grade-A asshole here. Not to mention, he's gotten _pretty_ whiny these days. Honestly, I think he'll be back."

"What an exciting thing that has happened here! Whether you think it is good or bad, this kind of event is what keeps life spicy!" exclaimed Louis. "And your Edward will be fine, I promise you."

"Well, I think I've had just a bit too much spice for right now. If you'll excuse me," said Laurent. He left the room.

Alice grimaced. "Uh, Bella? I think you're probably going to have to go talk to Laurent."

"Uh-oh, what is it?" I asked.

She shook her head, and I took that as my sign to go find him. He was sitting outside, on a bench near the pond we had in front. His back was towards me.

"Laurent, are you okay?" I asked. I knew the answer.

He stood up, but didn't face me. His hand went to his forehead. "Bella, I've done a terrible thing here."

"What, in the pond? I swear, Laurent, if there's a body in there I wi-"

"Not in the pond!" He turned to face me. "I've completely ruined the Cullen family. Do you understand that? Things were alright before I came in and destroyed it!"

I shook my head fiercely. "No! Do not even start with that! I have had enough of people and their self-loathing today, thank you very much!"

"I am not self-loathing!" he exclaimed indignantly. "I just see clearly now the consequences of my actions. I've ruined everything for that family."

I walked towards Laurent. He was shaking. I put my hand in his. "If you recall, when you found me in that meadow I was an absolute mess. Victoria was after me, my heart was broken, and I had lost an entire future. You _saved_ me, Laurent, do you understand?"

He put his forehead against mine. "Je comprends, ma belle," he whispered.

"Good. Now we're going to go inside. I promise you that you did not ruin the Cullen family. They are stronger than you can imagine. This may hurt them, but it will not ruin them."

Once we were inside, the air seemed less tense. Carlisle and Esme sat on the couch, discussing whether or not they wanted to go off on their own for a few days.

"You are truly beautiful, do you know this?" asked Louis. He was talking to Rosalie. "If I could have you for myself, I would not mind!"

"Hey, hey, hey, woah!" exclaimed Emmett. "No, nope, not in a million years, no." He pulled Rosalie out onto the balcony, where he was in the middle of a chess match with Eleazar.

"He was just being nice!" she laughed.

"Did I say something inappropriate?" asked Louis, genuinely perplexed. Angelique entered the room a moment later, but there was no sign of Edward.

Laurent laughed. "Well, Rosalie is married to Emmett, and that means that he doesn't want her to… date other men."

Angelique and Alice gasped at the same time.

"Yay!" exclaimed Alice.

"Mon, cochon, I want a wedding!" exclaimed Angelique.

"You mean you finally want to be my queen?" asked Louis. "That would be magnifique! I will have to tell some people in the government first, so it may be a little while. But that is just a formality! You know how stuffy they get there about my affairs. I'm still in charge of the country, you know! But that stuff is dreadfully boring."

"Well planning a wedding, especially a _royal_ wedding, takes a long time, so you can do all that business! We'll take care of the rest!" exclaimed Alice. She had only met Angelique a few times, but planning a wedding was one of her very favorite things.

"Yes," smiled Angelique. "I am ready to marry you, my love. I do not care about that government stuff, I only care about you."

Later, after Louis and Angelique left, all of us sat in the living room and talked. The subject did, eventually, circle back around to Edward.

"Carlisle, how could you let this happen?" asked Jasper. He sounded upset, but he kept his emotions in check.

"You know that I would never stop any of you from doing what you want to. I tried to dissuade him, but he seemed set on going," Carlisle explained.

"Well, can we see how things are going to shape up for him, at least?" asked Emmett.

"Sure thing!" exclaimed Alice. She paused for a minute, and we all sat in anticipation. After another minute, she frowned. "I can't get anything on him, actually."

"Interesting," murmured Carlisle. But that was the end of it. We all felt a little tense talking about Edward, and their visit was supposed to be a happy one.

We spent the rest of the night talking about every happy and exciting thing we could think of. But there was one question still buzzing around in the back of my mind. Why couldn't Alice see Edward?


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